Crime

The Antigua Labour Party will bring crime under control. The main reason for the escalation in the crime rate under the UPP is the pettiness and immaturity of Baldwin Spencer who unfortunately has a political assessment and solution for every problem.

Because of his preference for gut, political feeling over facts and careful analysis, Antigua and Barbuda now has its fifth Commissioner of Police in less than 5 years. This instability at the head of the force, created by the political agenda of Baldwin Spencer, is a recipe for crime fighting disaster.

Instead of ensuring that the police have the necessary human, financial, material and technological resources to deal with the rapists, murderers, batterers, drug abusers and thieves, the UPP has diverted millions of tax dollars into “hounding” ABLP members with frivolous and politically motivated lawsuits.

The lazy, desperation move to disgrace home grown policing capability and call in a quartet of retired Canadian Mountees to the rescue has backfired with only one of the four remaining after a few months on the job.

The ABLP will end the mindless UPP politicization of police operations, professionalize the force and empower its members to pursue their law enforcement mandate in the public interest, without fear or favour, affection or ill-will

The ABLP will adequately staff the force, provide for its effective leadership/management and ensure that all crime fighting equipment and facility needs are fulfilled as a matter of top priority.

The ABLP will also pay close attention to the widely accepted social contributors to rising crime like joblessness and school delinquency. The commitment is to move citizens away from criminal tendencies by building a genuine sense of belonging to and ownership of a caring society in which people are excited about a more successful future for themselves and their loved ones.